INFORMATIONAL

TO:

Division Superintendents

FROM:

Paul D. Stapleton
Superintendent of Public Instruction

SUBJECT:

Senate Joint Resolution 321: Training in CPR and Heimlich for School Cafeteria Staff

The 1999 General Assembly passed Senate Joint Resolution 321 (attached) regarding Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
and the Heimlich maneuver. According to the American Heart Association, approximately 3,000 deaths each year are caused
by choking as a result of foreign body airway obstruction. Twenty-five percent of those deaths occur in children.
During a choking incident, the oxygen supply must be restored within two to four minutes for children or a shortage of oxygen
in the blood and to the heart will occur. This can cause the heart to stop beating.
The 1999 General Assembly encourages local school divisions to provide staff members with training in CPR and the
Heimlich maneuver and to ensure that trained staff are on duty in school cafeterias when students are eating.
Should you have any questions or need further clarification, please contact Gwen Smith, student health services specialist at
(804) 786-8671 or e-mail gpsmith@pen.k12.va.us.
PDS/gs
Attachments:
A hard copy of this memeo and its attachment will be sent to the superintendent's
office.